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Long shot but hopefully someone local could advise? Trying to plan a route to take us to the Weald and Downland museum from a campsite near East Marden and thought it might be nice to go on the bikes. I can see a route using some bridleways to get me on to Hylter's Lane. Now on the map I can see a track running from Hylter's Lane (SU 8401 1374 / E484010 N113740) south east to West Dean skirting Whitedown Plantation (SU 8550 / E485503 N112551) Does anyone know if this is accessible by bike? Thanks
Not 100% sure about that. A lot of the tracks around there are part of the West Dean estate and are ‘private’.
Staying at Bow Hill farm? Or the pop up site down near Stoughton? Or the other pop up site between Compton and East Marden? Can’t think of many more sites around there.
Personally if I wanted to head to the museum off road I’d go to Hooksway and then join the SDW, then follow it East. Climb up from the road crossing near Cocking and turn right on bridleway at top of Heyshott Down into Singleton.
Easiest route would be either road or through Kingley Vale (depending on where you are actually staying) to Chilgrove then up the road past the White Horse and over the hill on very quiet lane to West Dean. The road between West Dean and the museum is pretty busy amthough it’s also quite wide with decent overtaking opportunities for traffic.
That Monarch’s Way track is accessible, if thats the one you mean. It’s like doubletrack all the way, marked as footpath on OS, but vehicles obviously use it.
Thanks for the reply. It’s Bow Hill Farm we’re stopping at. Any nice recommend routes around?
We store our caravan up there and stay at the site quite a bit!
There’s a fair bit of ‘classic’ downs riding you can do but unfortunately as it’s at the top of a steep hill the return is always a slog!
You can head out of the farm along a bridleway that takes you into Kingley Vale, (head towards exit of farm then turn right instead, past the cottage and through gate into field). There’s some fun stuff in there, some singletrack and the Stoughton DH trails (lethal when wet!)
Or head out of farm, right at bottom of access road then hard left. Along road for a bit then turn right to Hooksway and you will soon see a bridleway on the left that you can follow to the SDW.
Or, at bottom of access rd, turn left then head down rd and keep straight past the church. Then head for Up Marden and you can link into SDW by Harting Down and you’re only a few miles from QECP.
I’ll dig through my Strava rides and find some that start there as I’m pretty sure I have a few!
Directly south of you is Kingley Vale - beautiful spot, loads of tracks through it and... some dedicated MTB DH tracks on the Stoughton side (varying difficulty if you have beginners with you).
Seem to remember a fun drop through Watergate Hanger too. Lots of lovely stuff round there.
(Ha! As above 🙂 )
https://strava.app.link/dd68cB2AXfb
This starts and finishes at QE but goes straight PST the site entrance.
https://strava.app.link/Q13h5JrBXfb
This starts from the site. Some of it might be a bit overgrown and shaving some of the QE and Kingley trails off would make it a little shorter.
Gives you an idea though.
Plenty to ride around Bow Hill farm
My XC route goes through Bow hill farm and out to Kingley Vale/Stoughton downhill
That could be the one. I see the monarchs way forms a footpath off that track going through the enclosure. So the track itself is open? Thanks for the replies.
Thik you will be able to ride this mostly off road .
From the Pub in West Marden cross the B road and winch you way up the lane to the Locksah Farm
Follow lane about 1 ile on from the 90' left corner .Take the 1st BW on the left , gravel double track.
Follow this past the bee hives through a fast / loose descent . Its fine if you mince it, gets exciting at speed.
Pops onto another lane so take care as it flatterns out.
Straight on, skirt feild on BW that hugs the tree line and enters some woods, nice rooty section and easy ST climb.
FAST descent in to Stoughton, slow it down abit by the houses
Pops out into a triangle , then turn right and find a BW on the Left
Its mock Georgian farm house double track . This is cardiac. Past the WW2 fighter mmemorial and winch your way up onto KV , take it super slow and push once past the bench . Its 8-9 mins to the top .
You will need to do a left once it flatterns out, its obvious and a well used trail. Then you will see the burial mounds , cross to the south side adn admire the veiwws out across chcihcester harbour.
Then follow the main track along the ridge for 1 mile , do not turn off the ridge too early. There is a sign posted BW descent to Hylters Lane which is awesome at speed. Drops down through some very old Yew trees , over a few rot beds Beware the 90' left at the bottom, then out onyo grassy double track cross the B road, beware its very fast moving traffic .
Turn right halfway up Hylters Lane and take the cheeky into west dean
The above assumes the wrong Marden, op is Near East not West!
Bow Hill farm is on top of Bow Hill, just to the North of Kingley Vale. Closer to Chilgrove than East Marden really.